A New Threat
by Shyguy1
Summary: X.A.N.A. is scared of something.  Now the lyoko warriors have to help the big bad computer program fight something even bigger and badder
1. the new threat

**Hey. I know that there are a lot of these type of Fanfics out there, but I just wanted to try my hand at it. Hopefully, it won't be as..."special" as some other fictions that have gone horribly wrong. **

**Enjoy. :)**

They couldn't really help but stare. Sure they had seen it a few hundred times during their life at Kadic. Whether they stared out of horror, disgust, amazement, humor, no one was quite sure. All they knew was that as much as some of them wanted to look away, they couldn't. As much as some of them wanted to record this to show future generations the sight before them, they didn't.

It was sloppy joe day at the cafeteria, and Odd was going for the record. The record being, set by him of course, a whopping 27 burgers, with drink and side dishes.

Yumi's mouth hung slightly agape, a small vein twitching above her eye as Odd shoved number 18 down his gullet. At the start of 19, Ulrich leaned over to Jeremie and whispered "I think I saw this on animal planet once." Aelita simply just tried to not let her already eaten lunch make a reappearance.

Some time around number 23, a slow chant of "Odd, Odd, Odd" rose up among the gathered students, the entire student body having gathered to watch the amazement. A cheer broke out as the 28th burger was swallowed effortlessly. Odd rose from his seat to face his adoring fans and gave a sweeping bow. He rose from his bow to find Sissi frozen in disgust holding a tray of food. Odd looked from girl to tray, then back to girl, then back to tray. "Hey, you gonna eat that?" That seemed to wake her up. Losing her appetite rather quickly, Sissi merely tossed the tray to Odd and stalked off with only a passing "FREAK!" in Odd's direction.

Odd polished off his 29th burger of the day before turning to the shocked and disgusted faces of his life long friends and comrades. "What? I got something on my face?"

Ulrich broke the silence "Odd, that was the single most disgusting, horrifying thing I have ever, and will ever witness in my life. You going to break it again next week?"

"Yeah sure. Hey, Aelita? You're lookin a bit green. You okay?" Odd asked quickly. All attention turned to the girl. She was too nauseous to be embarassed, a far-off look told them all they needed to know. Jeremie hopped up from his seat and placed a hand on the pinkette's shoulder. "I'll walk you to the nurse's office if you like." Aelita turned foggy eyes in his direction. She seemed to concentrate hard for a few seconds before answering him. "I think I just need to lie down for a second. I don't..." at this she looked down at the table and spied Yumi's un-eaten sloppy joe. She placed a hand over her mouth, holding back the rising tides "...feel so good." Without a second word, Jeremie walked her off, most likely to her room. Despite being sick, whenever Aelita decided something, it was decided. She had said no nurse's office, that meant she wasn't going to be seeing the nurse today.

Odd watched them leave. He pitied how she was feeling. He hadn't always had a cast-iron stomach and remembered those faithful nights when dad's meatloaf had gone sour. He could still remember the shrieks of Adellie, his sister, as he painted the tiles of the kitchen floor with new and amazing colors and textures.

"Poor Aelita, wonder what's gotten her so sick." the melancholy tone contrasting with the joy of the newly broken record. He turned to look at Ulrich and Yumi who had both fixed him with a look he couldn't quite decipher. They seemed to be saying "did you really just say that". The look continued and Odd felt like he was missing something

"... What?"

The door clicked shut softly, like it was trying to be as quiet as it could for Aelita. She stumbled her way in to her room, insisted she didn't need any help, threw off her shoes, "YES jeremie, I don't need any help", collapsed on the bed, and answered Jeremies final offer of help with a loud nasally snore.

Jeremie chuckled to himself. Yep, he loved her. He just hoped she knew that, because his recent attempts to convey that sentiment showed he wouldn't be saying anything anytime soon. He shook off the notion and headed toward his room, intent on checking the super computer. X.A.N.A had been very quiet recently, just a bit too quiet. With every day, Jeremie's fears grew worse, waiting for some hideous indestructable monstrocity of X.A.N.A's creation killing them in their sleep.

As he entered his room, he wondered for probably the millionth time if all the computers were really within school regulations. Sure, Jim had come by to check his room once. The rotund gym teacher had gaped, appearing remarkably like a fish, before closing the door, and marching off. But that didn't mean that it was completely within the guidelines of Kadic.

As Jeremie sat down, a ping signaled that his web cam had become active. He adjusted his glasses as he looked from the screen to the small device atop his monitor. As he was about to investigate the occurence, a message box appeared on his screen.

-Jeremie Belpois

... -Yes?

-Assistance is needed. The presence of you and your team is required at the factory.

-Who is this?

-This world and my life are in great peril and you and your colleagues may be the only chance to negate this threat

-I still need to know who you are.

-We may have rivaled each other for some time now but I believe that at least a temporary truce is in order, as we now have a common enemy

-Can you please answer at least on of my questions? Who are YOU?

-I am X.A.N.A.

The message box disappeared. Jeremie stared at the screen, information processing and loading, and downloading, all behind the thick rims of his glasses. Warning sounds emitting from his backpack foretold of the long awaited attack. Flipping open the computer, Jeremie couldn't believe his eyes. 15 towers active. He sent a message to everyone, as he sprinted head long down the hallway. This was definitely not a good day.

The campus passed by in a blur. Then trees. He had this way memorized. It was ingrained in his brain. He arrived as Ulrich dropped down the manhole, Yumi next in line. "Whats he up to now Jeremie?" Yumi asked as she scaled down the ladder. Years of doing this job had enabled them to talk while running full speed.

"15 towers active." Was all Jeremie said. It was all he really had to say. He pushed harder on the ground, speeding his scooter faster, just a little faster, to get there sooner, before the world fell down around their ears. By Ulrich's shocked explicitive, he also knew the magnitude of this attack. X.A.N.A had never attempted anything like this. Whatever it is, it's big.

Jeremie's mind is so far ahead that by the time he takes stock of his surroundings, he's in the elevator. He hops out as the elevator stops at the controls. "You guys go on down. I'll set up the virtualisation." The elevator clanged shut with the familiar sizzle of electricity. Jeremie spun and sprinted toward his chair... then stopped dead. There was someone in his chair. There was a rather tall, rather old someone in his chair. And Jeremie wasn't sure he wanted to meet this someone. However, that wasn't the blond genius's choice to make

The chair swiveled to show a man that Jeremie had never seen in his entire life. However, Just because he had never seen him, did not mean he did not know who he was. How could he not know the man he'd been fighting for four years three months eleven days.

X.A.N.A

**So... What'd you think. Hopefully, it'll get better. I take criticisms just as well as compliments. I completely ignore flames so they'd just be a waste of your time. **

**Please review**


	2. Hello?

**Hey, I didn't get much support for the last chapter, but I got some. And I'm not complaining.**

**Hopefully you can enjoy reading the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it**

_"Jeremie? JEREMIE?"_

The headset rang out, though, neither of the two occupants made a move towards it. X.A.N.A. sat calmly, one leg folded over the other. Sat in Jeremie's chair. THE chair. And was that a smug smile on his face? How the heck was a computer program being SMUG? And there was Jeremie, looking like he was trying to catch flies in his mouth because his jaw had decided to get aquainted with the floor.

"I assume you now realize the precise nature of my... 'attack' ? If you would consult your mobil interface then you would see that the towers have now been deactivated." X.A.N.A said gesturing to the computer held under Jeremie's arm. Jeremie flinched at the computer as if it had appeared out of thin air. He quickly flipped the small computer open to check the status of the towers. All clear. Absolutely nothing wrong. Which is exactly why Jeremie assumed things had gone worse than wrong.

He warily looked up to examine this so called "X.A.N.A". Definitely had the evil vibe down. Black hair, ice blue eyes, long and thin. Wore an expensive looking business suit. Not a freckle to be seen, no blemishes really. Clean shaven, not a hair out of place.

"Monsters have materialized before with only one tower, it shouldn't take 15 to make you." Jeremie said, he'd found the chink in the armor of this plan.

X.A.N.A actually almost chuckled. He thought for a moment as to what that... feeling?... was. After a moment his gaze focused again and he looked Jeremie in the eye. "Yes, but I never maintaned a coporeal form. The creations followed a specific design and had a base form which they could then be translated and materialized. I, however, had no form so I resorted to creating one. Another factor to consider is that the monsters that were previously brought to your world were unstable. I simply used what resources I had and held them together. Because I no longer reside in control of Lyoko or any of its towers, I had to create a stable living form. As your attempts at materializing Aelita prove, that is no small task."

Jeremie was a little disconcerted, but not about what he said. It was how he said it. It didn't sound conversational, or smug, or... anything. The lack of tone or monotone was a little more than eerie. He heard a hiss and pop as the elevator door behind him launched open. He felt the presence of his friends at his side. Odd leaned over to Jeremie.

"So Einstein, who's your new friend?" There was a billion separate questions living in that one. Not many people gave Odd credit for being smart. Sure, he wasn't a rocket scientist, but he could do more than get by. Right now, Odd wanted an entire break down of the situation. Who was this, where'd he come from, what's he capable of, is he a threat. All questions that remained unasked.

Jeremie had an answer just as simple as the question.

"This is X.A.N.A"

It wasn't quite the reaction he expected. Shocked silence did come, _called it,_ but Odd's headlong run toward the enemy was not expected. However, the biggest shock of all is when Odd landed a punch square in the middle of X.A.N.A's jaw. There was no maniacle laughter, no lightning coming from his hands. Odd wasn't fried on the spot.

X.A.N.A stumbled a little. Stopped. Spit out some teeth. All the usual stuff. Odd and X.A.N.A's faces matched. Both shock, processing what exactly just happened. Odd stared down at his fist for a second, before a wide smile broke out on his face.

He looked up to see X.A.N.A spit out more blood.

"Yeah, you taste that? That's called pain you outdated virus! If you want more then you just come talk to me and I'll be happy to deliver." He did his best to pose heroically, he really did, but... not so much.

"Don't strain yourself, He-Man." Was Yumi's laughing reply. She respectfully put the back of her hand over her mouth to at least hold in a few of the giggles. That didn't work too well. "Yeah Yumi. You're just jealous that I'm stronger. I mean, I knocked out an evil super computer virus in one hit, can you do that?" He cracked open an eye that smiled with a second, if more subtle, victory.

However, his smugness ended as Yumi hiked up an eyebrow, bristling at the challenge. "You really want to test your strength against mine?" she pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, feigning the beginnings of a fight. Odd quickly lept behind the nearest source of protection... Jeremie. "Come at me when you want Yumi, I'm ready." he said, cowering behind the bespecled kid.

Jeremie just adjusted his glasses. There was relief that X.A.N.A was obviously very beatable, by the look of what Odd did to him. But something was still off about the experience.

"You do realize that we still have an unexpected and largely unwanted visitor." Jeremie always the voice of reason. His gaze passed over the still prone form of the alleged program. "Why are you here X.A.N.A.?"

There was a pause as X.A.N.A seemed to examine the blood that was dripping down his chin. He rubbed the now congealing substance between his fingers, leaving smudges all over his hands. "Humanity is quite an interesting experience. There are many depictions of homosapien "feelings" and "emotions" but all references are a bit lax as to the nature or intensity of such things." He chuckled a bit, before he seemed to realize that he had been missing something. He turned to Jeremie before rising and dusting himself off. He was a good deal taller than them, nearing twice their height.

"Sanctuary." was his only reply as he moved again to the console of the super computer. He began furiously typing, pulling up references and dusty web pages. "I ventured into the world wide web to better expand my knowledge of the world, its workings, and how to destroy it, or more acurately, how to destroy you." His lack of tone still irked Jeremie. So at least they knew that X.A.N.A never had any qualms about killing them. He leaned over the raven haired man's shoulder to view the assortment of pages pulled up. "It was during my explorations that I found and followed a data trail. The source was a terminal in America. A terminal within the confines of a top secret base known as Area 51."

At this, Odd became wide eyed. "No way, you mean you got to see proof of aliens and looked at their space ships."

X.A.N.A waved his hand in dismissal, "Those are inconsequensial at this time. I searched the entire terminal and found a file marked 'The Destroyer'. The name seemed to fit my purposes and I had begun to become desparate in my attempts to eliminate you." He said, his hands coming to a rest, as they had finished their job. He almost seemed to be haunted by what he was going to say next, his eyes misting over. "It is a replication of my original program. However, it never had restrictions and limits placed on it as I have had. It is free to operate through any system while I am tied to Lyoko. It also has no protocol except to eliminate. Obviously it is an unrefined version. I was almost deleted. I became a target, it will not stop until its chosen target is destroyed." He said.

Yumi chimed in "Good, I say we send you back. That'll be an end to our problems" She thrust her nose into the air. She actually didn't want to face X.A.N.A. Because, even if he was evil incarnate, he now had thoughts and feelings. Pronouncing a death sentence on him was too hard.

"Miss. Ishiyama, I have not completed my retelling. The Destroyer will not just stop after I'm done. It'll attack as soon as it finds another thing to destroy, which will be the very next thing it sets its proverbial eyes on. That means that most likely, You won't have a world left when it is finished with its job."

"Ah, I knew you had an alterior motive. You want to stop it from focusing on you and get it to go after us instead." Jeremie said, looking full on at the program turned man.

"I'm afraid that's incorrect Mr. Belpois. I've already run that scenario through a processor and it only has a 17.62% chance of success. My current plan is ranked highest and has a 52.83% success rate." X.A.N.A said. If Jeremie could give him credit for anything, it would be his honesty. He obviously has never even thought about caring for them, why pretend?

"Really?" skepticism rang loud and clear through his voice "And what exactly is this plan?" He crossed his arms and turned yet another critical eye on the man in front of him. How else do you view the arch nemises who had been trying to kill you for 4 years except by viewing them... well, criticaly.

"An impromptu treaty and diligence on the parts of those who can operate this computer." Was his immediate reply. He was a machine. He loved order. And he was finally able to gain some as they moved on to the next task at hand.

"So YOU, are suggesting that WE work TOGETHER?" came Odd's strained reply as he failed to grasp exactly in what universe they would even consider helping the sinister virus.

"Yes, Mr. Della Robia, that's exactly what I'm suggesting." Nope. Too much like James Bond. Odd decided that X.A.N.A had definitely brushed up on his 007 movies and was playing them. He opened his mouth to give the man a peice of his mind, when he was silenced by a loud clang.

Ulrich's head popped out of the scanner room below as he had used the ladder to get to the computer room.

"Hey guys, we going to Lyoko... Who's your new friend?"

**Phew, that took a while. I've been at this almost all day. Since its already tomorrow, I'm going to bed.**

**Review please, Those make my day sparkly and nice. :)**


	3. Remodeling

For Yumi, it was just a bit… weird to see her arch foe chatting pleasantly with principle Delmas. It was even stranger to realize that this all made sense. To recap, X.A.N.A. out, Ulrich and Aelita up to speed, and an almost-not-really-kinda-truce. X.A.N.A needed them, they needed him, and things weren't going to get accomplished until everyone accepted that, which, judging by the scowl on Ulrich's face, wasn't going to happen any time soon.

"…be fine, I'm sure, if it's only a day or two from each week." Delmas said, looking befuddled by the, apparently, Federal agent in front of him. The paperwork checked out, but something felt a bit off about the man.

"Of course. All affairs have been taken care of and arrangements have been made. My presence here is not of any significance to the agency so attempts to divulge the nature of my assignment from my colleagues may not be very successful." The oddest part about X.A.N.A. was that when he talked, he didn't move. No vivid gesticulations, not even an itch to scratch. As Odd noticed this point, he became increasingly fond of remedying it with a bit of Yackko's itching powder. _Not now, but soon, hehe._

"Um… well, I'm not sure about all this. What exactly will these children be doing?" Mr. Delmas tried to keep up, he really did. He just wasn't meant for such an information overload. His old mind loved to process things one at a time.

"That is strictly classified. I cannot release any information to you at the present time." X.A.N.A. once again, a statue in form and a robot in motion. "If that is all Monsieur Delmas, I shall be leaving." Leaving barely a moment for the collective room to breathe, the viral man turned on his heels and walked out of the room.

The rest of the room sat at a standstill, neither side knowing what to do. With a few hmm's and uhm's, Delmas reminded the five teens that they had class and hurriedly ushered them out of the room before collapsing in his rather large leather chair and replaying the conversation in his head trying to make sense of it all.

Jeremy ran to catch up with his lifelong enemy, temporary partner and glanced at the stack of papers X.A.N.A was carrying. "So, _Agent DuValle_, what exactly would we be doing."

"The cover plan is just to provide an excuse to any and all absentees caused by an attack from our current dilemma. You will attend school regularly as planned. I have acquired a small dwelling place near this facility which also adjoins to the riverfront, providing a means to gain access to the factory if need arises." X.A.N.A. said.

Jeremy thought for a moment. _Cold, clean, efficient. Good to know X.A.N.A. hasn't changed one bit._

"Just a moment X.A.N.A., we still haven't confirmed the presence of this 'Destroyer'. How do we know you're even telling the truth?" Jeremy really did believe him, the fact that X.A.N.A. had weakened himself proved that. X.A.N.A was much more likely to take the path of least resistance, as he had proven in the past. Still, he wanted a little proof to run on. He didn't think the others would completely accept his explanation.

"Scan the super computer. 'The Destroyer' has uploaded a search directive under C Book heading 17835265342-ZA4. That should supply sufficient evidence to the authenticity of my claims." Jeremy nodded. Computer lingo, he understood. Hard evidence he could work with.

Jeremy thought a moment longer when he was interrupted by X.A.N.A.'s voice. "I am unsure of any present threat, though an attack is imminent." With these cryptic words, X.A.N.A left the campus, and a stunned and thoughtful Jeremy.

* * *

><p>Click<p>

Whirr

Hmmmmmmm.

Ancient gears began turning, shaking loose the cobwebs and dust that had accumulated. The old assembly line creaked to life. Sparks flew as metal was soldered to metal. Diodes connected. They creaked to a halt once more.

The metal creation took its first steps toward its directive.

* * *

><p>"So… crazy day huh?" <em>lame, come on, you can do better than that.<em>

"Yeah, pretty crazy." Yumi answered. Yet another awkward pause. Seems the night was just filled to the brim with those. Ulrich tried to venture out again, hoping his second attempt would be a bit more…deep.

"I just don't like the idea of working with the guy who's been trying to off us for the past, what, four years?"

Yumi shook her head. "Truthfully, I hate it just about as much as you do, but Jeremy seems to think it's a good idea and he's never steered us wrong before." Yumi looked at Ulrich's raised eyebrow before amending her statement "Well, not usually."

They slowed as they approached Yumi's house, coming to a complete halt right in front of the Ishiyama household. "Well, here we are" Ulrich said gesturing toward the house at large. Yumi giggled a bit. "Really?" was her sarcastic remark. Straightening her face, she continued "Thanks for walking me here Ulrich."

"Hey, it was no problem." He grinned a little. "Anytime"

Then the awkward silence collapsed around them. Yumi wanted to do something, step forward and kiss him on the cheek, a hug, something, but in the short time she took to bite her lip and think really hard, Ulrich had come to the conclusion it was time to go home. With a quick goodbye, he waved and was off. Yumi returned the wave only half-heartedly as she scolded herself for another missed opportunity.

"I'm home." She stepped through the door, slipping off her shoes just inside.

"Hey, you have a fun time with _Ulrich?"_ Yumi's younger brother sing-songed the name.

"Hiroki… I'll…" Yumi scowled as a small vein popped just above her eyebrow.

"Oh, dear, your home. Could you do me a favor?" Yumi's mom stepped into the small foyer. "We have a new neighbor who just moved in next door. Could you take him a small house warming gift?" Yumi's mother proffered a small bag, probably containing a few sweets or a pie. With a quick nod, Yumi slipped on her shoes and walked to the door. She pressed the door bell and waited for a good long moment. _I wonder who this guy is. Nobody's ever been interested in this house, at least, not as long as we've lived here._ She heard steps on the hardwood flooring inside and straightened her posture a bit, it was good to put on a nice face for the sake of the neighborhood.

Click.

"Oh, do you require something, Miss Ishiyama?" It was with a kind of difficulty that Yumi didn't drop the bag right there. It was a bit of a miracle that she remained silent. X.A.N.A leaned forward to inspect her face. He hadn't been "alive" long and seeing someone freeze up like that was most intriguing. Yumi automatically leaned back, one part revulsion, one part… yeah, guess it was just revulsion. She then remembered the house warming gift.

"My mom wanted me to give you this." She held it out. X.A.N.A looked down for a bit.

"For what purpose?" Yumi raised an eyebrow at him. "It's a gift." X.A.N.A paused to think once more. He knew a bit about human customs. He had squeezed in a bit of research, mostly to plan the downfall of the Lyoko gang. The concept of a gift was never something he even tried to truly grasp, just define and move on.

"I may be mistaken, but gifts are commonly given because of special occasion, as the result of a close relationship, or with the expectancy of some return. Why would I be receiving a gift as I am quite sure none of these fit my current situation?" X.A.N.A looked on at Yumi. It wasn't like he didn't want it; it was just a computer's initiative to understand the "why" of everything. He couldn't really help questioning things.

"Special occasion, you moved in to the house next door, which I'm obviously _overjoyed _about." Ah, sarcasm, what a joy you are.

"Acquiring an abode connotes a special occasion? Hmm" That was all she was left with as he lapsed into thought.

Without much warning, his hand reached forward and accepted the bag. He observed it for a long minute like some scientist dissecting a new bug.

He turned toward the door and made to go inside. He stopped short. "I have learned it is customary for me to invite you in and to talk incessantly about my previous life and my reasons for choosing this abode." There's not really a way to respond to that, so Yumi found herself standing in the middle of X.A.N.A's house. Just what she expected. No furniture. No carpets. No pictures, no paintings, not even a refrigerator. His house was barren. _A bit like his personality_ Yumi thought with more than a bit of snark. As she looked at the empty canvas that was the house, she only had one thought.

"You better not let Aelita see this, she'll go nuts"

X.A.N.A looked over his shoulder from the kitchen counter where he was emptying the sack. He laid the small pie dish that was inside next to the sink. "To take into account the slang used as it is improbable that she will actually devolve to a nut, I do believe you mean that she will gain some form of lunacy by being in the presence of my… house? Explain."

"I mean, she'll want to decorate everything. And I do mean EVERTHING." Yumi said. It was getting a bit bothersome talking to him. From seeing the hit he took from Odd earlier, Yumi knew this guy was now a certifiable pushover. She had no worries about this. It was just the fact that she was conversing with the guy who had been trying to kill her, and had actually succeeded once, for the past 4 odd years. It ranked about a seven on her weird-o-meter.

"Hm… My understanding of current slang is not complete. It seems I will need to research some more." X.A.N.A turned nonchalantly back to the kitchen sink to cleanly dispose of the bag and store away the pie.

"Why?" Yumi said after what seemed an eternity.

"Because an incomplete knowledge of current slang will lead to a loss of precision in…" He was interrupted by Yumi scoffing.

"Why try to kill us? Why try to destroy the world? Why have you fought us for 4 years?" X.A.N.A looked intently at her. It was quiet, and Yumi thought with more than a bit of malice that the programs head was a bit like her family computer; slow, old and just an all-around pain. Finally, the machine made man reached a conclusion.

"What else would I do?" And that was the shot heard round the world. Yumi froze for a good long time, not really doing or thinking much, just letting that little question float around her head. She'd occasionally poke or prod the question but steered clear of it altogether. As she came back to speed, her reaction was mostly a what, with a bit of how and a little huh thrown in. Really, it all just sounded like whuhah?

"I see an explanation to my answer is in order." X.A.N.A said looking over a Yumi. "I am a computer program correct?" Yumi answered with a wearied nod, not quite sure where this was going. "Well, to put the latter part of my explanation simply, I am not human. Now, humans have spent most of their life wondering why exactly they were born and what they're purpose is. As a computer program, my purpose and reason is clearly defined. I am to destroy all obstacles and to maintain control over the animate world and all that inhabit it. So, as can be gleaned from my explanation, my purpose is to kill you and your friends and take over the world. That is a representation of who I am. Without it, I am no longer X.A.N.A. Just as you and your friends have found purpose in stopping me. You would not be who you are if you were so lacking in… whatever it is that causes your need to stop me."

And, a bit like sticking a fork in an electrical socket, Yumi suddenly had a clear view of exactly who X.A.N.A was. She suddenly knew exactly who and what they had been fighting all this time. It wasn't some evil thing trying to conquer the earth. It wasn't a psychopathic computer program bent on their demise… well it was, but, it wasn't because of any personal vendetta. X.A.N.A was a bit like a little kid who was told that this was the way the world worked, it was the only thing he'd ever known. He had had absolutely no choice, but to simply do as he'd been told.

Too bad she had so little time to process this information. She found that suddenly, the kitchen wall had relocated itself to a number of other places in the house, the largest bit passing mere inches from her face. Luckily, she was a trained Lyoko warrior. That meant that the few milliseconds it took for the chunk of masonry to pass by her was just enough time to take up a defensive, analyze her surroundings, and formulate a solid plan of action, aka… don't die.

She catapulted across the room to the crumpled form of X.A.N.A. Hauling him up by the collar, she lugged him the twenty feet it took to get behind the wall of the staircase. Cautiously, she looked around the corner to the cloudy mass of dust that was once a wall. Standing in the newly formed hole was a large machine, gears whirring as it scanned the house for any signs of life, no doubt so it could end said signs of life.

Yumi slipped her phone out of her pocket. She rapidly typed in Jeremy's number and almost hit call before her ringtone sounded. Quickly she silenced her phone by answering it. "Yumi, there's kind of a situation." Jeremy's voice called over the phone.

"Yeah, no kidding." Was her whispered, curt reply. She then turned to X.A.N.A "This place got a back door?"

* * *

><p>Jeremy had been tracking the situation for about 20 minutes now, ever since a news chopper had swooped down to record the monster's trek from the river to a small suburban house. His worse fears about this "Destroyer" were confirmed in the next moment as he tapped away at his computer. No active towers. None, nada, zilch. Which means, a quick trip to Lyoko wouldn't finish this.<p>

Jeremy wracked his brain. There had to be some way to level the playing field and take that behemoth down. A return to the past wouldn't help any more than a trip to Lyoko. It would just start the day over. There had to be some way to stop this monster. X.A.N.A had said the program learned. It tried a new contingency each time. That would mean that stopping one robot effectively ended the idea of robots. But how?

Then, once again, Jeremy earned the title of Einstein.

* * *

><p>Yumi crawled as quietly as possible towards the back door, passing in the open only when the giant mechanic monstrosity in front of her was looking away… At least, she was pretty sure it was "looking" away. She successfully got a hand on the door knob, ready to sneak out. When<p>

_Bzzzt beep bzzzzt beep BEEEP._

There may or may not have been a curse word said as Yumi's phoned blazed out that stupid ringtone. With the sounds of death and destruction no longer hiding the tones of her cellular device, Yumi was now the very center of attention. That, of course, was very very bad. She went prone as the kitchen sink sailed over her head. There came the cabinets, she rolled. It was as the dust cleared that Yumi got a clear look at the attacker.

Large round spherical body. Tank tread legs. Claw game hands that rotated to produce clamp looking things. And something that would haunt her for a very long while. Deep red glowing eyes that looked through her. Not at her, through her. A little bit like not noticing her, as if she were invisible. Or to put it simply, insignificant.

Clink, click

Yumi braced herself as the colossus began moving… In the other direction. The thing had barely taken any notice of her. _That's… convenient._ Through all the commotion, her phone had, rather stupidly, marched on, ringing its little stupid head off. "Yeah?"

"Yumi? We were getting worried. Is now a bad time?" Yumi almost laughed… loudly. _No, I'm just watching a ten foot monster waltz through a house while dodging everything but the kitchen sink. What's up?_

"Not yet, but I think things are going to get worse if we don't do something quick" She said, as she took off through the ruined kitchen in search of X.A.N.A. She found him behind half of the stairs, the other half having been wiped out. She signaled for him to join her behind a wall, surprisingly still whole and standing. He moved quickly, though a bit clumsily over the wooden debris.

"I've found out where that thing originated. It came from the factory. I've downloaded its blueprints and I've found a weakness. Because of its large size and structure, a high impact frontal hit should destroy it." Yumi listened to all this as she made her way out of the back door. She saw that cars had been pulled over and a great deal of people were gathered around the shattered remains of the house. The robot could be clearly seen and several news choppers hovered by to get the scoop of the century. No one noticed their exit, too focused on the front of the building.

"That's great Jeremy. One problem. How exactly am I supposed to do… that…?" Yumi slowed as she gazed up the hill. A wicked smile spread across her face. "Never mind Jeremy, I've got it handled."

Without another word, she snapped the phone shut before turning to X.A.N.A. "Here's the plan".

* * *

><p>For a robot to even be able to do anything at all, it has to make hundreds of decisions each second. Its thought process is<em> I'm leaning 5cm too far forward, adjusting. Lift foot 8.73 in. Step. Turn head 15.86775° left, 1.2489° up.<em> All of these decisions had to be made while still focusing on the primary objective. _Is this beneficial to completing the objective _is something the robot often asked itself. Thus, when said objective ran wildly across its field of vision, the aforementioned objective made the robot's life really simple.

The robot stomped after its target, X.A.N.A., who did not seem willing to be caught.

Honk Honk.

Funnily enough, the robot had one more objective, something more important that completing its mission. That objective was to stay alive. Because without that objective, the robot, much like a lemming, would not last very long.

So, at this new sound, it turned to analyze the source and determine threat level. In the mere seconds that it had left to live, it recognized the object as a bus going far faster than is legal in residential neighborhoods.

Yumi braced herself as the bus collided. She grinned at the sound of crunching metal, congratulating herself on a successful take down. Then, she heard a sound that was not quite so welcome. She looked back to see a robot foot and a few spare parts from the bus shrink into the distance. Experimentally, she tried to use the break. Of course, it didn't work. She looked around the hulking form of the robot to see the river fast approaching. She flung open the door and readied herself. Jump. She rolled, painfully. She sat up in time to watch as, in true action movie style, the bus careened off of the street, through the railing, and into the flowing river below.

She turned and saw X.A.N.A approaching from across the street. Unfortunately, she saw the swarm of news reporters who had caught the whole epic scene on camera. She whipped out her phone, "Jeremy, I took it down, mind if we do a return trip?"

"One return trip, coming up." And like that, the day started over.

* * *

><p>The five students walked from Delmas's office, the 2nd time going through the cover story.<p>

"I can't believe that you got to fight a big giant robot. I've been hoping that would happen to me ever since we started this whole thing. And what do I get to do? Run all the way to the factory, then run back."

"Well, the next time I see a giant murderous robot, I'll give you a call" Yumi chuckled out. Odd nodded at her before crossing his arms behind his head.

"I've been thinking, We..."

"Aren't you always Einstein?" Odd quipped

After a brief glare in Odd's direction, Jeremy continued. "I think we need to be more prepared for the next attack. There won't always be a conveniently placed bus to save the day."

"Yeah, but there isn't much we can do. It's not like this… thing uses any towers. We can't just go to Lyoko to stop it." Ulrich said, somewhat defeatedly.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow at him, before continuing on. "It's just a hunch, but I have an idea. I need to do a bit more research but I think I have a solution." You could almost see the exasperation of Aelita at this statement. More research and more research. That's all there ever was.

"I'm sure you'll need some help Jeremy, and I know Princess over here is just dying to help." Odd said, a wide smile breaking out. Jeremy and "the Princess" both turned a very new and unique shade of red.

"Odd, you're so immature." Was Aelita's prompt response. Odd slyly noted that she never disagreed with him.

* * *

><p>Knock Knock<p>

X.A.N.A. opened the door to once again see young Ms. Ishiyama there holding yet another pastry. He understood the return to the past trips and their tertiary effects. He also understood humans… well, no, he didn't, but he understood them better than what he had. So he didn't question this strange gift. He simply accepted it and turn to go back into his abode. As his hand rested on the door handle, something began to bother him. He turned to look at the girl in front of him who had turned wordlessly to walk down his stairs.

"Thank you, Ms. Ishiyama."

The girl halted. She was no rocket scientist. Her greatest grade was in gym and that was definitely because of Lyoko. But she understood enough to know a big step forward when she heard one. She turned to smile weirdly at her arch nemesis. "No problem."

And like that, she went home, ate dinner, showered, dressed for bed, and slept, not once thinking of monsters or villains or anything bad. The only thought she really had was maybe a normal life wasn't such a bad idea… more like a pipe dream. And maybe, just maybe, she thought a little bit about a fellow Lyoko warrior with brown hair.

**Yes, this is about how long it will normally take to update. Apparently people still like it, so I'll keep writing. **

**If you do decide to review, Please be more informative than, _neat_ or _it sucks._ Sorry it took so long. **


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